Repetitive Break-Ins CAN Be Prevented

After a house breaking, victims are left feeling exposed, violated and unnerved. It’s hard to say what’s worse – a break in where you were home, or one where you weren’t there to protect your family and your possessions. You will only start to feel a little bit more relaxed after you have called the locksmith and taken some steps to preventing future break-ins.

In some cases, burglars will re-target a certain property within 4-6 weeks of the initial burglary, either because they spotted more valuable loot, or because it was so easy to enter it the first time. Sometimes, they may find a buyer for a particular item they spotted during the initial break in, and sometimes they just want to make sure that they find everything valuable on your property by breaking into a part they missed on the first round. Delaying a follow-up break-in by a month or so also usually means that your insurance would’ve had time to replace the stolen items with brand new replacements, which would sell for top dollar on the black market.

People moving into new homes are also often victims of burglaries – and often repeat break-ins, because of vulnerabilities left by the previous inhabitants. Likewise, burglars who work independently of one another may both consider your home an attractive target, because:

it has poor security

it is often empty

it is isolated

Here are some steps you can take to secure your home against repeat burglaries:

1. Get to know your neighbors

Neighbors can work together to keep the area safe, especially when someone goes away for a few days. When you are going to be away from your home, ask your neighbors to keep an eye on your home, and offer to do the same for them when they are away.

2. Ensure your house number is clearly visible

If emergency services can’t see your house number, they can’t get to you quick enough. Corner houses should face the street in which they are named.

3. Don’t advertise that you’re away

Speak to your friends, neighbors and relatives about not leaving notes on the door, or parcels on the doorstep. Those are clear indications that you’re not home. Ask a neighbor to collect anything that is delivered while you are out.

4. Lights, camera, action

Install motion sensor lights and a light by your porch. If anyone moves around your yard at night, the lights will turn on and spook them. If you’re going out to dinner, leave some lights on in the house and perhaps the TV or radio so that it seems that someone is actually home.

5. Pet peeves

If you have a large dog, rather let it stay outside, or make sure you’re able to let him in and out the home. A small child can easily enter through a large pet door and unlock the door for a burglar from inside. Small pet doors should be small enough to only provide entry to a small dog or cat, and it should be impossible for anyone to reach inside through the pet door and to manipulate the inside locks.

6. Take extra steps

If a burglar broke your old lock, be sure not to simply replace it with a new lock of the same kind. Invest in a more secure lock, as well as CCTV, motion-activated lights and burglar bars.

Here at Locksmith Toronto Ontario, we see some bizarre break ins every day, and we know the latest tricks of the trade. If you want to prevent future break ins, get in touch with us.